Studio packed with top spring shows

Derby Theatre spring 2016 season will be bringing you plenty to entertain and inform in The Studio.

Shows include: Crazy Glue, a tragicomedy about loss inspired by Etgar Keret’s short story; Locus Amoenus, a piece of theatre which looks at our visions of paradise and how we struggle to get a little closer to them; Land of our Fathers, a play packed full of blistering comedy and which echoes a generation of lost voices from the 70s.

There is also A Machine They’re Secretly Building, which charts the course from the secrets of WWI through to 9/11 and the erosion of privacy; Transports, a beautiful, heart-breaking, yet funny, play inspired by a Kindertransport refugee which interweaves film and a powerful underscore and jumps in time between the 1970s and WWII; Punching the Sky, a new play about parenting and pressure which combines live performance with animation and an original score; Schlock, a theatrical journey through texts and voices pregnant with pain and pleasure, mothers and babies which will also be captioned and BSL interpreted; Call Mr Robeson, a rollercoaster journey through famous actor, singer and civil rights campaigner Paul Robeson’s remarkable life; I, Malvolio, a re-imagining of Twelfth Night from the point of view of Shakespeare’s pent-up steward, presented by ‘one of the smartest artists making theatre in Britain now’, Tim Crouch; Football Manager Ruined My Life, a play which explores if Tony could have achieved more had he not spent the past 20 years playing video games; and Learning How To Die, a not-too-morbid show about death, how we may accept mortality and how this play might just change the way you live.

There are also family shows in the main house and Studio.

These include: Grass, a wonderful and insightful quirky dance show perfect for 2 – 4 year olds about the world beneath their feet featuring worms, slugs, snails plus the spontaneous outbreak of ant dancing which uses puppetry and projection to inspire little ones to look closely at the world around them; My Marvellous Machine, a magical and musical show for 2–6 year olds which features live music, puppetry, songs and a very sleepy chicken, and as part of the first ever live tour for this CBeebies craft hero, Mister Maker and The Shapes will be dropping in at Derby Theatre for a visit packed full of arty adventures, super songs and crazy creations, where he will also be joined by his colourful all-dancing friends Circle, Square, Rectangle and Triangle too.

For full details of the spring season at Derby Theatre visit www.derbytheatre.co.uk

Sarah Brigham, artistic director at Derby Theatre, said: “On the back of our hugely successful autumn season, where we attracted record numbers, we are incredibly excited about our upcoming spring season.”

She continued: “Our homegrown show this season is Look Back in Anger by John Osborne. I’m excited to bring this classic text to our Derby audiences especially given its local resonance.

“John Osborne worked as an actor and stage manager at Derby Playhouse. He set the play in a large East Midlands town and his autobiography suggests some similarities with the characters and his own life.

“He offered the piece to Derby Playhouse, who turned it down before The Royal Court accepted it and it went on to change the face of British Theatre, being the first play to place the working man’s voice centre stage, coining the term ‘angry young men’. We promise a top-class cast and a compelling night out of searing drama in our theatre.

“As the perfect companion piece to Look Back in Anger, Jinny, written by Jane Wainwright, an exciting new voice in theatre, who also hails from Derbyshire, will look at the play afresh and offer a contemporary response to Look Back through our RETOLD series. Built on research and development with the women living in Derby in 2015/16, this is a story of a young woman trying to cope with the world she finds herself told with humour and warmth.

“A previous RETOLD play, JOAN, will also make a very welcome return to the Theatre next spring, following an incredibly popular run at the theatre earlier this year.

“There is an exciting and eclectic mix of touring shows next season with The Great Gatsby, Flare Path and the legendary The Mousetrap plus great family shows, Tortoise & the Hare and Mister Maker – and a show I am particularly excited about is The Damned United presented by Red Ladder Theatre Company and West Yorkshire Playhouse...and I look forward to hopefully welcoming a host of football fans into our theatre for this thrilling and controversial play.

“I am immensely proud that we continue to offer an exciting range of participation opportunities for our audiences and community to get involved in, which complements our season of productions and events, and spring 2016 sees us continue to ‘unwrap’ the theatre experience further with exciting opportunities for you to get into the heart of the process. We hope you want to celebrate and spend time with us during spring 2016.”